Enormous Freddy already holds the title has the world’s tallest dog by standing larger than 7 feet when he’s on his hind legs. However, after turning 8 years old, this giant dog got a great birthday surprise by being known by another record: the oldest living Great Dane in the world.
Freddy lives in Weeting, Norfolk in the UK with his owner, Claire Stoneman, and his little sister, Fleur. Freddy and Fleur are both from the same litter and were born only minutes apart. On their May 17th birthday, Claire went all out and threw the two siblings a fabulous 8th birthday bash.
Stoneman shared with Caters, “Freddy and Fleur had a great birthday party and they both had the best time. We decorated the garden and they got loads of their favorite treats and cuddly toys.”
In attendance of the big birthday party was Erin Manley who is Freddy’s 7-year-old neighbor and best friend. The two have known each other their whole lives and even grew up together. Her father, Peter, even revealed that Freddy’s large size has not impacted how she views the dog one bit.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures, Erin would regularly visit the 210-pound pooch on a twice-weekly basis. However, since having to quarantine the young girl didn’t stop her socialization with Freddy. Instead, she got creative in her solution to still be able to talk to Freddy. And as a result, she began to call him some evenings before going to sleep. Freddy would get excited at these calls as he could recognize her voice.
Her father elaborated on their friendship, saying, “He’s so big that he towers over her. She cuddles up to him on the settee to watch television and he just towers over her, but they have a very sweet relationship.”
While Erin isn’t exactly intimidated by the Great Dane’s size, many other people are. As a result, Stoneman has admitted that she often takes Freddy and Fleur out for walks early in the morning in order to avoid large gatherings of people. She has stated some people have even mistaken Freddy for Stoneman walking a horse.
And Freddy’s large size is well maintained by his appetite as well. Stoneman spends over $630 a month on kibble, minced beef, roast chicken, and plenty of treats.
Stoneman has also added that despite being big, they’re such sweet and gentle dogs. In fact, she even revealed that the three of them sleep together in the living room at night by sharing two mattresses.
Freddy took the title of the world’s tallest living dog in the Guinness World Records in 2017 after he officially measured 3.395 feet tall from the ground to his back. However, the Guinness World Records has confirmed his second record title as the oldest Great Dane. Stoneman will be applying for the official record.
She said, “Freddy was actually the runt of the litter and now he’s got a Guinness World Record and is set to reach a second.”
